Medical Expert FAQs

What are the benefits of joining the Medical Expert Network and how do I join?

The benefits of HealthTap for doctors are spelled out on our doctors page. If you are a U.S.-licensed doctor you can sign up online or by downloading the number one featured HealthTap MD app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Signing up is quick and easy — and getting started takes less than a minute. During the sign up process we will ask for information that is required to verify that every Medical Expert on HealthTap is a U.S. licensed physician in good standing. If you need assistance during the sign up process, please reach out to our support team here.

How do I join the Medical Expert Network?

If you are a U.S. licensed doctor you can sign up online or by downloading the number one featured HealthTap MD app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Signing up is quick and easy — and getting started takes less than a minute. During the sign up process we will ask for information that is required to verify that every Medical Expert on HealthTap is a U.S. licensed doctor in good standing. If you need assistance during the sign up process, please reach out to our support team here

What is Verification?

Everyone claiming to be a U.S. licensed doctor that wants to join the Medical Expert Network is verified through a manual review process. This process ensures that all of the doctors on HealthTap have met the necessary requirements to legally practice medicine in the United States. After successful verification, a notification is sent out to confirm membership in the network. Verification typically takes between 24 and 48 hours.

Can Medical Groups register on HealthTap?

It's easy and rewarding to add your entire group to HealthTap — no matter the size!

Groups can be small, medium or large practices, clinics, hospitals or surgery centers. If you'd like to add your institution to HealthTap and get all of the benefits of an optimized website and a robust audience of patients for free, please contact us.

Patients and doctors are now able to send digital files on HealthTap through a HIPAA-secure process. Documents and images may be uploaded and sent worry-free to assist in the transfer of information and care. Files that you are sharing and that have been shared with you are accessible in your library, which can be reached by clicking the button in the left-side menu.

What is a DocScore?

DocScore is value that reflects all of the actions a doctor has taken as a participant on HealthTap that have, in turn, made a positive impact on individual patients and the HealthTap community at large. Some of the notable elements influencing the DocScore include:

Yes! When a patient is looking for your specific expertise they will send you a direct message, and you will have the opportunity to reply and get reimbursed for your time and compassion. Reimbursement is based on a fixed rate per initial reply and follow ups. You have the potential to earn up to $100/hour with typical usage.

Can I choose whether or not to respond to a private message? What is expected if I reply?

You have the power to decide if you will respond to a private message. When you do respond to a private message you will have access to the patient’s Health Activity and any shared files associated with the message. Responding consists of answering the question posed by the patient in a 600-character answer field. You are encouraged to use photos if they will help support the information you are providing. When you are satisfied with the information. If you elect not to respond to a particular private message you may do so by selecting the “Can’t Help” button. When you do so, you have the option of referring the patient’s message to a colleague in your network. If a private message is unattended for 72 hours, your Responsiveness score will decrease, although the message is still available to view and respond to beyond 72 hours.

Any tips on how to answer a question?

When providing an answer for a patient, be mindful of the style, language, and tone of your answer in addition to the relevance of your answer in relation to the question asked — just like in your clinic! Providing thoughtful and informative answers that really “hit the mark” for a patient will increase your chances of receiving a “Thank You” which has a direct impact on your DocScore.

Are follow up questions allowed?

Patients will have an opportunity to pay for a shorter follow up question if they desire. You will be reimbursed for providing a short reply to follow up questions in a similar manner to the original question and responsiveness and helpfulness scores are impacted in the same fashion. Follow up answers are limited to 250 characters. Follow up questions are reimbursed at the rate of half a full question.

How do I make a withdrawal?

To make a withdrawal you must have a minimum balance of $100.00. Withdrawals can be made at any time in your setting menu. After your request is received you will be issued a check in the mail, PayPal payment, or a receipt confirmation your donation to a charity.

Where do I go if I'd like help or support on HealthTap?

You can reach out to our support desk at any time by selecting the “Feedback” button under “About HealthTap” in the left navigation menu.

What are “Known for” topics?

By registering, you have already selected a specialty, but we recognize that most doctors have several areas of practice that they are “known for” based on past training or cumulative clinical experience. We want you to be able to attract patients to your practice based on the topics you are known for in medicine and so we created topics for you to choose from that will allow you to customize your Virtual Practice on HealthTap. You are allowed to choose up to 5 known for topics and you can change them at any time.

What is the Top Doctors Competition”?

Once you have declared your “Known For” topics you have the ability to showcase your expertise in this area and earn the #1 spot on your block, in your neighborhood, city, state, and beyond! You can be the best in your known for areas simply by doing what you do best — helping people who are looking for your expertise. Learn more »

There are several ways that you can leverage you HealthTap Virtual Practice to gain more recognition and direct more traffic to your profile and real-world practice. Here are some of the best ways to get more visibility with HealthTap:

Fill out the "about" section of your Virtual Practice page with all of your background information and highlights of your practice and expertise. Make sure to include important office location and hours information.

Select "Known for" topics by clicking on the "edit" link in the field below your photo and name on the Virtual Practice home page - you can choose up to 5 "Known for" topics that will direct patients and questions to your profile that are related to those topics. (see more about “Known For” topics here)

Add a professional looking "head and shoulders" photo to your Virtual Practice home page.

Start adding content to your profile by answering questions from users that interests you - this is the number 1 way to start generating traffic to your profile. Share the answers on FB and Twitter by selecting the appropriate channel after completing the answer. This can also be done from the "settings" link on the Virtual Practice home page.

Build your network of patients and colleagues. Your network size directly impacts your online reputation by attracting the attention of more specialists who will read and "Agree" with your answers - and patients who will "Thank" you. It also helps optimize your visibility to internet search engines. Recent analysis of our top doctors showed a direct correlation between network size and number of “Agrees” and "Thanks". (click here to invite colleagues or patients).

Once you have started to contribute to the site, send us an email with your CV and interesting facts about your career and we will feature you in our very popular blog.

What are points and levels?

Points are a reflection of the body of your work as a Medical Expert on HealthTap, such as your engagement with users looking for your medical expertise, the size of your network of patients and colleagues, your contribution to the collective wisdom of the community and your support of others. Unlike DocScore, which reflects a more “real-time” snapshot of your recent participation, your points and level only rise over time.

Your points benefit you in many ways. The more points you collect, the higher your level and the more visible you'll be to prospective patients and referring colleagues. Every doctor starts at “certified”, but you will quickly start to advance to more prestigious levels.

Peer reviewed publications are now listed on HealthTap, and are part of your Virtual Practice. You can add, edit or remove articles that you’ve co-authored within your Profile, or add yourself as an author directly from the publications page.

Who can add add a description or comments to a publication?

Co-authors can add and edit a shared description of an article (so consider checking with them when modifying an existing description). Any registered medical expert on HealthTap can add comments to an article. Comments and descriptions are publicly visible, and help highlight your expertise and authorship.

What are Curbside Consults and how do they work?

Currently in beta, Curbside Consults are a way for our expert doctors to consult with the thousands of U.S.-licensed doctors on HealthTap for free. Doctors can select the specialty their consult is distributed to, and can receive relevant, detailed peer responses to their requests. Consults submitted by doctors who answer more patient questions on HealthTap are given priority – speed up the responses you receive by answering patient questions on HealthTap today.

How can I submit a video for healthy living resolutions?

Adding a video to a Wellness page is a great way to inspire others to improve their health and well-being. Learn more here about our Wellness pages and how to submit your videos directly on HealthTap or via email.